Inge Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Went into town today for the first time since Christmas, and it is really empty and noticeable how many shops are no longer around. We have lost Whittards, Woolies, Adams, MKOne, Officers Club,ELC shop closed and relocated into Mothercare but is ssooo much smaller and seems to cater more for the babies and toddlers now, very little for the pre-school age child in there.... Other local shops are also closed, Out of town Iceland has gone along with the MFI, those are only the ones I have noticed. But we have had yet another food/ snack shop open, Just seemed very quiet for a Friday morning.....but the budget food shops are another story... we have always used these as some products you can only buy in them, particularly when we miss some of the foods we could buy in Germany when we lived there... now we have found queues at the tills.. not usually found, and one has built a big new store locally to keep up with the demand..... What have you noticed missing? Inge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rea Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Same Inge. There also seems to be loads of charity shops and pound type shops, but the big ones seem to have gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beau Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I really missed Woolies this week - daughters 8th birthday party this evening and I needed stuff for it. Also she wanted High School Musical clothes but none of the other shops in town had anything. There were several units closed in the centre with several others having closing down sales. This included one of the independent book stores there which I usually like to have a browse in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Woolies has left a big hole in my local High Street. There are a couple of small independent retailers having closing down sales - it all feels really depressing, we didnt have many good shops to start with!! We have 2 new charity shops, a coffee shop and a mobile phone shop - just what we all need!!! Not a good start to 2009 and its about to get worse as my bank statement has just arrived online. Wish me luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Our local paper ran a story last week after a major restaurant/bar and wedding venue closed and said that there were 53 empty premises in the town centre. We have lost the same shops and the only new ones to open are a UPS collection centre and a small interiors shop which as far as I can see only sells paint! On top of that my favourite wine bar (and the only decent place for anyone over 21 to go) has also closed citing a huge hike in rent! I now have noweher to go if I want a decent drink on a night out! In terms of shopping, I have found I am using the internet more and travelling to the nearest bigger towns to shop as the shops in my town are not stocking mush and for some things, you know you can get it cheaper on the internet. However, on the brighter side, my cousin has a bridalshop and their dress orders for weddings this year are higher than last year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Our local town is full.............. of charity shops, mobile phone shops & empty units. I'm expecting to see tumbleweed blowing through any day now! Nona Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacquieL Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 We have some empty units, but mostly empty since a new shopping centre was built and new book shops and an enlarged Debenhams have affected some of the smaller shops. Some businesses just moved across. We haven't got a woolies so no gap there. shops like the body shop seem empty but most of our other shops are as they were before. Aldi and Lidl have always been popular. I go there regularly for various things, and their red grapes are better than M&S. Around here it is pubs that seem to be closing, in fact the local paper did an article on them last week. One of them is very well known so it has caused a bit of an outcry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wolfie Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 Same here as far as pubs are concerned - it seems to be one a week at the moment..and ones that "seemed" to be doing really well, always full! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hali Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 sorry havnt been into our town for weeks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MaryEMac Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 I didn't realise that I relied on Woolies as much as I did until it wasn't there. Apart from Woolies we have lost Card Warehouse, Fashion Wheel and Oxfam. We still have a few charity shops, betting shops and pubs left. We are only a small market town though. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Our town is okay so far - mostly small shops. A lot of the country pubs are closing though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Took the kids into town yesterday and noticed that 2 new shops had opened - a betting shop and one of those cheque cashing places. Sign of the times I think!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted January 25, 2009 Author Share Posted January 25, 2009 Our pubs and clubs all seem to be Ok so far.. think the smoking ban has something to do with this one as well.. Most smokers will not want to go out in freezing weather knowing they have to go outside to smoke.....even if outside heaters etc are available..which is what most of ours have done.... Not just us having MT shops than..... We have a Wilkinsons in town which seems to have taken over the gap made by Woolies...much busier in there than before.... Inge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motherclanger Posted January 25, 2009 Share Posted January 25, 2009 Inge I went to the same town as you the other week and was really shocked at the number of shops gone, it makes me feel really sad ! Soon there won't be any shops left, or any worthwhile going in. I didn't know ELC had relocated to mothercare that must have been recently as I was only in town a couple of weeks ago and it was still next to Laura Ashleys then. I'm frighten to go in again as who knows what shop will be next to go ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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